Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday, 5 May led a delegation of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs to New Delhi to meet President Droupadi Murmu, raising the issue of what he called the "illegal" and "unlawful" defection of seven AAP Rajya Sabha MPs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The meeting follows a month of political turbulence in Punjab that has tested the stability of Mann's government.

The Defection That Triggered the Visit

Last month, seven AAP Rajya Sabha members — Raghav Chadha, Sandeep Pathak, Ashok Mittal, cricketer Harbhajan Singh, Rajinder Gupta, Swati Maliwal, and Vikramjit Sahney — announced their decision to quit the AAP and join the BJP. Of the seven, six represent Punjab in the Upper House; Swati Maliwal is the sole exception. Mann had described the move as a "betrayal of the people's mandate" and vowed to escalate the matter to the highest constitutional authority.

What CM Mann Said

"Our struggle for the protection of Punjab's rights and interests continues unabated," Mann wrote on X ahead of the delegation's departure from Chandigarh. "Today, we have set out in the company of all AAP MLAs to discuss Punjab's burning issues and present the state's resounding voice before the esteemed President," he added. Mann further stated that his government "remains fully committed to Punjab's prosperity and the safeguarding of the rights of every section of society."

Confidence Motion Sends a Signal

The presidential visit comes days after Mann won a confidence motion in a special one-day Assembly session, where 88 AAP MLAs were present in the 117-member House. Two party MLAs were abroad, two were in jail, and two were hospitalised. The motion secured unanimous support among those present — a show of unity Mann's camp described as a clear message that "attempts to destabilise the government have failed." Mann had declared the mandate a reflection of "enduring public trust" and projected an "even bigger mandate in 2027."

Broader Political Context

Mann also used the Assembly session to warn that central agencies including the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were being "misused" in ways that undermine the Constitution. Positioning AAP as a resilient national force, he asserted that the party "represents people's trust that cannot be broken." This comes amid a broader pattern of AAP facing political pressure across states where it holds or contests power. The presidential meeting is as much a political statement as a constitutional petition — signalling that AAP intends to fight the defections through every available institutional channel. How President Murmu responds, and whether the anti-defection question reaches the Supreme Court, will determine the next phase of this standoff.